The last couple of weeks have marked a noticeable increase in high-profile crime in Sioux Falls. An officer was involved in a shooting at a Sioux Falls park Thursday night. A bomb threat was made to a convenience store. There were five casino robberies and one homicide in the last two weeks of 2014.

All told, there were six murders in Sioux Falls in 2014. A seventh involving an inmate at the penitentiary is not included in the police department’s tally.

Many have responded to the news coverage of these incidents as proof that crime in Sioux Falls is getting worse and that the city is no longer a safe place to live.

In an unscientific poll, the Argus Leader asked its readers if they felt crime is getting worse. Sixty-seven percent said yes.

Even though some crimes are increasing, Sioux Falls remains among the country’s safest places to live of cities our size. But we all need to work together to help keep it that way.

According to the U.S. census, the latest population estimate puts Sioux Falls at 164,676 people, an increase of 11 percent since 2006.

While calls for service has increased 18 percent, some crimes have stayed steady or gone down compared to population growth.

Vandalism, larceny and burglary calls are down, while rape reports are steady compared to population growth.

Other crimes have gone up, however: Aggravated assault reports are increasing, as are drug arrests. But while the number of homicides are high, there were seven in 2006. There were three in both 2012 and 2013.

In April 2014, when mayoral candidate Greg Jamison made combatting crime a key component of his campaign, police chief Doug Barthel said he wasn’t alarmed by some of the increased numbers.

“If we had a stagnant population and we saw these numbers, I’d be concerned,” he said.

So why do people feel Sioux Falls is not a safe place to live?

As members of the media, we can take partial blame for that.

The @Argus911 Twitter feed reports on a lot of Sioux Falls crime that you wouldn’t have even heard about three years ago unless it personally affected you. As with other media outlets, crime and public safety is a big part of our coverage.

Crimes are also being reported more now. We have mandates of responsibility in schools and other places where professionals are obligated to bring to light suspicion of things that happened in secret in the past.

We are also a fast-growing city with a small-town feel. If something happens, we talk about it over the water cooler or with our neighbors. In a sense, it’s a good thing that we haven’t become desensitized to it. It shows that crime hasn’t become a part of our everyday life. In many cities across the country, including some the size of Sioux Falls, a casino robbery or a bomb threat wouldn’t be as big of a deal.

Murders, assaults and random acts of violence will continue to happen in our great city, because it’s growing and no place is immune to crime.

And while Sioux Falls residents should rest assured that the city is a safe place to live, there are precautions everyone should take.

Don’t walk alone at night in areas you feel uncomfortable or are unfamiliar with, and lock the doors to your home in the evening and when you leave. Lock your vehicles and don’t leave valuables inside of it. Call police if you see something suspicious.

We say this not because Sioux Falls isn’t safe, but because people need to be cautious.

That’s true in New York, Sioux Falls or Dell Rapids.

Let’s work on keeping our community a place where we can be proud to live.